Squirrel Hunting Traditions

In my previous column, I talked about the general significance of hunting traditions in our area. This week, we take a closer look at the traditions of squirrel season. I know some rabid squirrel hunters, but few match the dedication to the sport than Dustin Fuqua. As curator of the collection out at the Cane River Creole National Historical Park, Dusty’s picture is in this column almost as much as my own. So I asked him to contribute a few thoughts on the hunt for squirrels. Here’s what he had to say.

Hunting as a living tradition

Here in “Sportsman’s Paradise,” sometimes we do things all our lives and don’t even realize that it’s part of our heritage. Hunting is obviously part of our heritage as human beings, but did you ever consider how many generations upon generations of your own family depended on hunting as a way of life?

Even with all the mainstream taboos and controversial views on hunting, Louisiana residents continue to embrace the opening weekend of hunting season with quasi-religious zeal. Public offices, schools, and retail stores in several communities in Louisiana remain closed (or close early) on the Friday before the season starts in recognition of this cultural phenomenon. Men, women and children alike don camo as they ready for the weekend of hunting.

Today, participation in squirrel hunting is not generally due to the need for meat. It’s more the result of tradition and excitement over the beginning of the hunting season. Even though crosshairs will be sighted on the arboreal rodents, bagging them is less important than the joys of outdoor recreation, solitude in the woods, family and friends, and the innate desire to honor the heritage of our wildlife-dependent forefathers.

Skills and vocabulary

Hunters across the state continue to make their way to a favorite hunting spot on private property, hunting leases and clubs, and on public lands to claim their stake under the perfect “feed tree” to wait for the elusive squirrels to emerge. Traditional firearms used in squirrel hunting include shotguns or .22-caliber rifle. Most beginners use a .410 shotgun, proceed to use of .20 gauge, then .12 gauge, on to .22 rifle for the “sportsman” hunting technique.

In Louisiana, we have two species of squirrel: the Fox squirrel (3 recognized subspecies: “Black squirrels”) and the Gray squirrel (2 recognized subspecies: “Cat Squirrels”). Going back to the terminology of the French Creole t’nom, the squirrels were called “l’ecureuil” or “leh-eek-ree-uhl” a.k.a. “zekes,” or “tree rats” in the vernacular.

A traditional day’s hunt generally includes a sunrise morning hunt and a sunset afternoon hunt. Hunts are prefaced by “scouting” hunting spots ahead of time for “signs” or cuttings from acorns, pecans, etc. The hunter may stalk squirrels along a particular trail, waterway, ridgetop, drainage, bottom, slough, or fencerow.

Eventually, the hunter will hide near feed trees, wait for visible movement or listen for barks and shaking branches, plan the shot, shoot the squirrel, take careful note of where it fell to ground, wait several minutes, and then collect. Collection includes bags and vests and tying the legs/tails to the belt.

Next week, we’ll take a look at the traditions surrounding the squirrel’s final destination: the cookpot. As a reminder, Dusty and I are collaborating to document some of our area’s hunting traditions on video. If you’d like to participate, e-mail me at jkguin@hotmail.com or contact either of us at natchitochespreservation.ning.com (http://natchitochespreservation.ning.com).